botany designates this 

 particular form of seed 

 as a samara, or winged 

 fruit, of which the flut- 

 tering broods of the ma- 

 ple, the pine, tulip-tree, 

 and elm are other fa- 

 miliar examples; but 

 this rustling ash seed 

 has a little more to say 

 to us that is, if the 

 reader is of my way of think- 

 ing than is found in the 

 botany. Every now and then 

 a stray seed flutters down 

 in its dizzy whirling flight 

 and settles lightly upon the 

 dry leaves. Let us look at 

 one closely, and as we look 

 give freedom to our fancy. 



Something in the design 

 of this flat-bladed samara will surely set us thinking 

 and irresistibly suggest a series of questions. 



What is the favorite and most ancient timber from 

 which the oar and paddle are made ? The ash. Who, 

 then, was the primeval wood -craftsman who first took 



this unmistakable 

 hint from this singu- 

 lar seed for is it not 

 a perfect model for 

 the Indian paddle or 

 the blade of the mod- 

 ern oar? How many 



